Walk-Off Single Lifts Huskers Past No. 20 Cowgirls

Lincoln - Brooke Thomason's walk-off RBI single with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning lifted the 16th-ranked Nebraska softball team to a 4-3 victory over No. 20 Oklahoma State on Saturday afternoon at Bowlin Stadium.

Nebraska trailed 3-0 before the Huskers ever came to bat, but NU tied the game on a three-run homer from freshman Taylor Edwards in the bottom of the third inning. The game remained tied until the seventh inning, when Thomason's single to left field scored junior Nikki Haget from second base with the game-winning run.

Thomason's walk-off single was her lone hit of the game, as she extended her season-long hitting streak to six games. Taylor Edwards finished 2-for-3 with her 18th home run of the season and three RBIs. Edwards, who is now alone in second place on Nebraska's season home run chart, increased her season RBI total to 64. That number leads the league and is the highest total ever by a Big 12 freshman. Senior Julie Brechtel also posted a multi-hit game, finishing 2-for-3, while her sacrifice in the bottom of the seventh moved Haget into scoring position.

The walk-off victory was a welcome change for the Huskers, who had led or been tied in the seventh inning in five of their last eight losses. With the win, Nebraska improved to 38-12 on the season and moved to 8-9 in Big 12 play.

Junior right-hander Ashley Hagemann earned the win, improving to 28-11 on the season. Hagemann allowed three runs on five hits, striking out seven and walking a pair. After giving up three runs in the first inning, Hagemann allowed only two hits and no runs over the final six innings.

Kat Espinosa (20-7) took the loss for Oklahoma State, which lost for the fifth straight game and fell to 37-16 overall and 8-9 in Big 12 play. Espinosa allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits in a complete-game effort.

Oklahoma State jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead with a two-out rally in the top of the first inning. Hagemann, who had not allowed a run in the first inning all season, retired the first two batters before she made a good pitch to Alysia Hamilton, but her blooper to left field was held up by the wind, allowing it to fall in front of a diving Madison Drake. The double was followed by an RBI single and a two-run homer from Chelsea Garcia.

The Huskers then left two runners on base in the bottom of the frame and another runner in the second. In the top of the third, Haget walked before Brechtel singled to put runners on first and second with none out. Taylor Edwards then blasted her game-tying, three-run homer to center field.

After giving up three straight hits in the first inning that led to the Cowgirls' three-run inning, Hagemann did not allow another hit until a one-out double in the top of the sixth. She bounced back with a strikeout before Tamara Brown singled up the middle. Pinch-runner Kelsea Schultz attempted to score on the hit, but a perfect throw from Haget to Taylor Edwards nailed Schultz at the plate and ended the inning.

Hagemann then hit a pair of batters in the top of the seventh but did not allow a run. In the bottom of the frame, Haget reached on an error and moved up to second on a sacrifice from Brechtel. Taylor Edwards was then intentionally walked to put runners at first and second with one out, before Thomason attacked the first pitch she saw and lined the game-winning single into left field.

Nebraska wraps up the regular season on Sunday, when the Huskers host Oklahoma State at Noon in their final Big 12 game.

Box Score 2011 Nebraska Softball
#20 Oklahoma State at #16 Nebraska
May 14, 2011 at Lincoln, Neb. (Bowlin Stadium)

Oklahoma State 3 (37-16,8-9 Big 12)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB
------------------------------------------------------
Gearhart, Mariah 3b...... 2 0 0 0 1 0 4 2 0
Morrison, Ari dp......... 4 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3
Hamilton, Alysia 2b...... 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
Ward, Julie 1b........... 3 1 2 1 0 0 5 0 0
Schultz, Kelsea pr...... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Garcia, Chelsea ss....... 3 1 1 2 0 1 4 2 0
Brown, Tamara cf......... 2 0 1 0 1 0 2 0 0
Boyd, Ashley c........... 3 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1
Diffendaffer, SammyJ rf.. 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0
Graham, Amy lf........... 3 0 0 0 0 2 3 0 0
Espinosa, Kat p.......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
Totals................... 25 3 5 3 2 7 19 6 5

Nebraska 4 (38-12,8-9 Big 12)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB
------------------------------------------------------
Haget, Nikki cf.......... 2 2 0 0 2 0 0 1 0
Brechtel, Julie 2b....... 3 1 2 0 0 0 2 1 0
Edwards, Taylor c........ 3 1 2 3 1 0 10 0 0
Wright, Saige pr........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Thomason, Brooke rf...... 3 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 0
Guile, Ashley 1b......... 3 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 4
Edwards, Tatum dp........ 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
Foland, Heidi 3b......... 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0
Banda, Gabby ss.......... 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0
Drake, Madison lf........ 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2
Hagemann, Ashley p....... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Totals................... 25 4 6 4 5 0 21 6 8

Score by Innings R H E
-----------------------------------------
Oklahoma State...... 300 000 0 - 3 5 1
Nebraska............ 003 000 1 - 4 6 0
-----------------------------------------

Note: 1 out, 2 runners LOB when the game ended.

E - Gearhart, M.(6). LOB - Cowgirls 5; Huskers 8. 2B - Hamilton, A.(14);
Ward, J.(11). HR - Garcia, C.(12); Edwards, Tay(18). HBP - Gearhart, M.;
Diffendaffer. SH - Brechtel(7). SB - Foland(10).

Oklahoma State IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP
--------------------------------------------------
Espinosa, Kat....... 6.1 6 4 3 5 0 25 31 120

Nebraska IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP
--------------------------------------------------
Hagemann, Ashley.... 7.0 5 3 3 2 7 25 29 117

Win - Hagemann (28-11). Loss - Espinosa, K. (20-7). Save - None.
HBP - by Hagemann (Diffendaffer); by Hagemann (Gearhart, M.). Pitches/strikes:
Espinosa, K. 120/72; Hagemann 117/78.
Umpires - HP: Renee Williams 1B: Kevin Killingsworth 3B: Loui Alvarez
Start: 4:35 pm Time: 2:01 Attendance: 372
Game: NU50